Happy Halloween: Rise of the One-Winged Angel
by Slaycinder
Summary: Halloween has come to Twilight Town, and Sora and his friends have big plans for the occasion. Things are going smoothly until the boys are dared to summon a dangerous spirit from the other side—the One-Winged Angel. Will it turn out to be a harmless urban legend? Or will the boys unleash a true terror on the town? Rated T for language, hormones, and Sephiroth. SoRiku, AkuRoku.
1. This is Halloween

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, FF, or Axel/Lea, or anything else that would make me rich and happy. I also don't claim to own any references to real-world themes, persons, or works. So there. **

**A/N: Happy Halloween! Buahahahaha! Just a note, there are a couple of references from my other stories in here. They don't disrupt the plotline if you haven't read the stories, but if you want to milk this for all it's worth comically, I suggest you stop by **_**Match Maker **_**and **_**I Never Should Have Taken My Boyfriend Grocery Shopping!**_** sometime. Just for giggles. Rated T for language, hormones and Sephiroth, because if seeing his name doesn't make you want to pee your pants a little, you must be too insane to feel fear. Cloud supervision is advised. **

**Happy Halloween!**

_**Bon à lire!**_

**-Slay**

* * *

_Happy Halloween: Rise of the One-Winged Angel_

Chapter 1 – This is Halloween

* * *

_Estuans interius_

_Ira vehementi_

_Estuans interius_

_Ira vehementi…_

-o-o-o-

"Sora! Roxas!"

The twins looked up from their leaf-strewn walk home, only to have something small and black flung in their faces. Whatever it was, it stuck to Sora's shirt, and when he looked down at it, his heart stopped.

That was a really _big_ spider.

He screamed. "AGH! GIANT KILLER SPIDER! _GIANT KILLER SPIDER!" _He started clawing at his shirt, frantically trying to detach the insidious arachnid and failing miserably. "Get it off! Get it off, Roxas!"

"Will you _calm down?!" _The blonde swatted his brother's hands away, grabbing fearlessly at the spider and popping it off of Sora's shirt. He held it up. "Look, it's not even _real."_

"Happy Halloween!" Axel busted out laughing, leaning through the window of his car.

Roxas rolled his eyes and chucked the spider back at him. "Whadda you want, Axel?"

Axel sobered up—for the most part. "Whoa! Why the hostility? How about a 'Happy Halloween, Axel!' or a 'Thanks for giving us a ride home, Axel!'?"

"You never _offered _us a ride home!"

"Want a ride home?"

"…"

Having completely recovered from the 'giant killer spider' incident, Sora gave a broad smile and walked up to the car. "That'd be great! Thanks, Axel."

Axel nodded at Sora appreciatively before giving Roxas a pointed look. "See, _Sora _gets it."

"_Ch." _

"Now hurry up and hop in—we're stoppin' traffic here," the redhead pressed, unlocking his doors with a muffled _chnk. _The twins crawled one after the other into the backseat, pausing when Axel pouted and said, "You're not gonna ride up here with _me, _Roxy?"

Roxas grabbed his and Sora's bags and dumped them defiantly in the passenger's seat before shutting the door and strapping himself in.

"It's okay, Rox—I don't mind sitting back here by…my…oh…" Sora dwindled at the look his brother gave him, and resorted to quietly twiddling his thumbs.

As he drove, Axel eyed the blonde in his rearview mirror. "Aw, c'mon, Roxas. You're not still mad about that little episode at Chip & Dale's* last week, are you?"

"_Episode?" _Roxas snapped, blue eyes livid. "You burned an entire furniture emporium to the ground!"

"Not _to the ground,_" Axel contended. "There's still some of it standing."

"That doesn't justify—"

"_Hey, _c'mon, now, guys! Let's just be thankful nothing horrendous came of it." Sora worked to placate the mood, though in the back of his mind he couldn't help but wonder just how Axel kept getting away with his selective brand of public arson. Maybe it had something to do with his brother being on the police force.

They pulled down the twins' street and stopped at the curb by their driveway, and before letting them out, the redhead swiveled around in his seat and said, "I assume you guys are still up for tonight's festivities?"

"Yep!" Sora nodded enthusiastically, pumping his fist in the air. "A night of trick-or-treating followed by a party at Dem's place! It's gonna be awesome!"

"What're you guys going as?"

"Our mom thought that since we're twins, we should do a devil/angel thing this year," Sora explained eagerly. "How about you, Axel? What are you dressing up as?"

"Irony."

"…What do you mean?"

Axel chuckled and shook his head. "You'll see later."

Roxas huffed, heaving his bag onto his shoulder and sliding out of the car. Sora looked after him and hovered by the driver's side window. "Er…s'been a rough week at school," he murmured apologetically. "He'll be in a better mood later when the spirit hits him."

"No doubt about it," the redhead chuckled. "Hey, we never heard from Riku. Is he going?"

"Not trick-or-treating, 'cause he's got work. Which is weird, because I didn't know Riku even _had _a job!" Sora sighed. "But he _is _gonna make it to the party later. I even convinced him to dress up!"

"Well it _is _a costume party," Axel grinned. "Mmk, then. Dem and I will be here to get you guys around seven. And this time, _don't forget something to put your candy in!"_ He prodded playfully at the brunette's chest before pulling away from the curb and driving off, tossing a casual wave out the window.

-o-o-o-

"I still think we're too old for trick-or-treating."

The twins were up in Sora's bedroom, so close and yet so far from being ready to go, because SOMEONE (_cough_ Sora _cough_) couldn't keep his shit together.

Sora rolled his eyes, rifling around under his bed for the last few baubles of his costume. He could feel the pressure dipping the mattress where Roxas sat on top of it, and had to fumble out from under it before he could reply. "I don't think we are."

Roxas smirked. "That doesn't mean much, coming from you." He sprawled out on the tousled sheets of the bed and started fussing with odds and ends of his costume, bored. He was dressed in his own interpretation of a teenaged devil, which consisted of a red long-sleeved shirt and red, black-strap Tripp pants—which he was still amazed their mother even let him buy—as well as an attachable tail and a headband with horns.

Sora made a face and dove back under the bed, his hands groping blindly through the litter.

In distinct contrast to his brother, the brunette wore a white, belted tunic that stopped at his knees, revealing the stone-washed jeans he had on because Sora refused to leave the house without pants, despite Roxas' jeering encouragement that nothing bad could _possibly _come of that. He had also opted out of wearing wings of any kind, for fear that their awkwardness might interfere with simple tasks like walking through doors or riding in the car. This left him with only a couple of discerning props, one of which he couldn't find.

"Have you seen my halo?"

Roxas shook his head and shrugged. "If you kept all of the accessories in the bag _like I told you to…"_ he chastised, but Sora just ignored him and took to picking through his closet again.

"Well can you at least help me look?" The brunette pleaded, carelessly tossing shoes and books and various articles of clothing across the room. "I can't go out tonight without it."

"I don't see why not," Roxas said, expertly dodging the projectiles without leaving his spot on the bed. He picked up the five-foot pitch fork he'd bought to top off his costume and started batting at the objects that came flying from Sora's closet, returning fire and hitting his brother in the back with a sneaker.

"Ack!" Sora stopped and looked at him. "Knock it off! …And I can't be an _angel _without a _halo, _Roxas."

"Sure you can. You're wearing a white dress—"

"—_robe."_

"And you've got your little toy harp—"

"—it's a _lyre._"

"Potato, pot-ah-do. My point is, you look plenty like an angel without the halo. So why don't we just pack up and go?"

Sora had successfully strung the entrails out of his closet, and was still pouting when he said, "Fine. But only if you leave your horns."

"What?" The blonde's eyes widened as if the proposal were completely ludicrous. "I can't do that! They're integral to the effect of my costume."

"Well so's my halo!"

The door to their room swung open before Roxas could retort.

"Boys, your friends are here—oh, _Sora Strife! Look _what a mess you've made!"

The brunette scrambled to his feet and looked around, shrugging sheepishly. "I'll clean it up tomorrow, Mom."

The woman scrutinized him with a cocked brow, then nodded slowly. "I'm holding you to that, young man. I don't care if you're on a…a _sugar crash _or _whatever_ you kids call it these days."

"Yes, ma'am!"

"And by the way," their mother produced something off the top of the laundry basket she had propped on her hip. "I found this in the family room—you really should keep better track of your things, mister."

"MY HALO!" Sora rushed over and attacked his mother in a bone-crushing hug, nearly knocking the basket out of her grip. She laughed. "Is that why you were tearing your room apart?"

Sora nodded, taking the faux-gold ring from her and working it into his rambunctious spikes of hair. "_Roxas _said I don't need it for my costume to work 'cause I got the other pieces, but I know that's just a load of—"

"Sora!"

"What? I was gonna say _garbage."_

"Uh-huh."

There was a burst of elated laughter from downstairs. "Well," their mother sighed, "you boys had better get going." As she said it, the twins gathered the last of their things, including pillow cases for candy and a pair of extra jackets ("I don't _care_ if they 'mess up your costumes'—I'll not have you boys getting sick because of carelessness!"). The twins rumbled down the staircase, finding Axel and Demyx waiting for them in the foyer.

Demyx was, quite predictably, decked out like a classic rockstar—his sandy hair was even more frazzled than usual, a great, wild mess on top of his head that was being held at bay by a blue bandana. A shimmering purple lightning bolt was painted boldly over his right eye, monopolizing his face as it stretched from his hairline to the lowest corner of his cheek. He wore a black band shirt with the sleeves gouged away, leather pants and boots and a plethora of chains, belts and arm bands. In spite of his exuberant attire, the boy was noticeably put out about something, his posture drooping at whatever Axel was saying.

"—I don't care if it's still in the wrapper, Demyx; you're not eating a piece of candy you found on the sidewalk."

"But—but _AAAAxelll!"_

"It's for your own good," the redhead asserted, holding out his hand, which the blonde reluctantly dropped a piece of fruity candy into. Axel wandered off for a moment, tossing the candy in the first trash can he found. When he returned, he spotted the twins on the stairs and threw out his arms in welcome. "Well it's _about time! _Could you ladies do me a favor next time and _warn _me if it's gonna take you three hours to get ready?"

For once he didn't get a sneering response. The "ladies" were too busy staring at him.

"What?"

After a moment Sora muttered, "I see what you meant by _irony."_

Axel was dressed as a firefighter. He had the complete uniform, from the boots and the pants to the hi-vis coat and the visored helmet—his audacious red hair exploding down his neck. A pair of gloves and a fake hatchet hung from his waist, and there was a plastic breathing apparatus strapped to his back.

Roxas slapped a hand across his face.

"What? I _said _I was going as irony."

"Axel, this isn't irony. It's sacrilege."

"Sacri-what now?"

The conversation was interrupted when the front door was pushed open, shooing Axel and Demyx to the other end of the foyer. "Are you idiots still here?"

The oldest Strife brother came traipsing in from the porch, still dressed in his work uniform and with an exhausted slump in his shoulders.

"Cloud, honey, I thought you got off early for Halloween?"

"This _is _early," Cloud replied, slipping a begrudging glance at his younger brothers. "Ever since _someone _destroyed the store last month, Mr. Wise has needed all hands on deck."

Sora and Roxas grinned hesitantly, parting to let their mother down the stairs. "Oh, that's right! Have they found who's responsible yet?" She set down the laundry basket to give her oldest son a hug.

"No." Cloud returned the hug and pecked his mother on the cheek before glaring threateningly over her shoulder at the twins, who continued to smile nervously. "But the police are still looking into it."

"Well I hope they find the perps," their mother nodded resolutely, pulling back. "That was quite a bit of damage."

"You're telling me."

"WELL, I think we better get going, guys!" Axel burst out suddenly, snagging Demyx around the shoulders and motioning at the twins. "If we dawdle much longer all the good candy's gonna be gone!"

"Right!" Mrs. Strife turned to the boys with her hands on her hips. "Now you boys are going to _stick together_ and be _very _careful, right? There're a lot of weirdos out on Halloween."

"Yes, ma'am."

"And you're both wearing an extra layer of clothing…you have your _phones?_ And they're turned _on?_"

"_Yes, _Mom."

"And your extra jackets?"

The boys held up the objects in question. "_Yes."_

"Good," she said sternly. "It's supposed to drop below fifty tonight." She turned toward the blonde rockstar determinedly. "Demyx, honey, are you going to be warm enough?" She gestured at his sleeveless shirt. The boy nodded exuberantly. "Yeah, Mrs. S. I've got my leather jacket in the car."

"Alright then, I guess there's nothing else to say other than I love you and I'll see you boys later," she shrugged. The twins each presented themselves for an obligatory kiss. "I know the party's gonna run late," their mother added as they grouped at the door with their friends. "So if you get back after midnight be sure to turn out the porch light and lock the door. And _call _if you're staying the night somewhere else." She turned to Cloud as the other boys filed out. "Now why don't _you _go rest while I heat up some dinner for you?"

Demyx was the last one out the door because he stopped and leaned into the foyer, brows worried. "Cloud, you're not gonna be too tired to come to my party later, are you?"

The older blonde shook his head. "I don't think Zack would stand for that."

At this, Demyx's painted face lit up. "Awesome! See you there, dude!"

"C'mon, Dem—we're already an hour behind!"

* * *

**A/N: Nothing happened in this chapter. YAY! **

***Chip & Dale's – the Disney chipmunks Chip and Dale were originally named for Chippendale furniture (or so I'm told), so this was kind of a…triple entendre? I guess?**

**Overbearing mother anyone? I know the feels, bro. There was much **_**yes mom-**_**ing in my house growing up. I'm sure it was for the best, though.**

…**My mom wouldn't let me buy purple Tripp pants—mostly because she was convinced the straps would lead to my ultimate demise. She was probably right. I'm not a particularly graceful child. *faceplants* **

**I always feel weird using real-world brand names in fan fiction, but let's face it: there's no elegant way to describe Tripp pants without using the term "Tripp pants". **

**-Slay**


	2. Trick or Treat! How OLD Are You!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, FF, or Axel/Lea, or anything else that would make me rich and happy. I also don't claim to own any references to real-world themes, persons, or works. So there. **

**A/N: CHAPTER TWO! :D**

_**Bon à lire!**_

**-Slay**

* * *

_Happy Halloween: Rise of the One-Winged Angel_

Chapter 2 – Trick or Treat! …How _Old _Are You?

* * *

_Sors immanis_

_Et inanis_

_Sors immanis_

_Et inanis_

-o-o-o-

After about fifteen minutes of driving, the four of them ended up in what Axel referred to as the local "sweet spot" for trick-or-treating, a fairly quiet suburb just outside of Twilight Town. Night had long since fallen, bringing to life the corny yet haunted illuminations of Halloween décor sprayed across peoples' yards and houses.

"Er…Axel?" Roxas asked reluctantly as the car came to a stop in the vaguely familiar driveway of a quaint one-story house. "Isn't this…where your grandmother lives?"

"Yep."

"…You brought us to Sunset Acres? Where all the _old people _are?"

"I did."

Sora let out a distressed sigh. "What'd ya do _that _for? Now all we're gonna get is sugar-free gum and mixed fruit."

"And toothpaste," Roxas supplied flatly. "Don't forget the toothpaste."

"Ah. Right." They had yet to repress their memories of the Halloween when they encountered an elderly woman passing out tooth paste and dental floss, smiling cleverly and saying, "You're going to need it after all that candy!"

"Will you guys quit griping? Gran's friends with a lot of these people—I know all the right houses to hit. Most of them are so happy to have kids around that they spoil 'em with the best kinds of candy every year—I'm talking full-scale chocolate bars and even sea-salt ice cream!"

Roxas perked up at the mention of his favorite snack food. He leaned forward between the front seats, staring the redhead down intensely. "There's someone in this neighborhood that gives out _sea-salt ice cream?"_

"—in late October?"

"Shut up, Sora."

"Mhm." Axel nodded and pointed out his window. "Ms. Gainsborough, five houses down. Does it every year without fail."

"Well _what're we waiting for?"_ A new exuberance claimed the blonde devil, and he clamored impatiently to free himself from his seat belt and bolt out of the car. Axel followed him, laughing and grabbing Roxas by his fake tail before he could take off. "Slow your roll_,_ Lucy.I promised Gran we'd stop by first."

"Lucy?"

"Yeah. S'short for Lucifer. Ain't I clever?"

Roxas crossed his arms bitterly. "_Clever_ isn't exactly the word _I _would use."

"Aw, Roxy…" As the other two gathered their things and got out of the car, Axel pulled the toy hatchet off his hip and swung it charismatically, propping it on his shoulder and leaning in so his warm breath reached Roxas' ear through the cold autumn air. "Y'know….I hear there's a lotta _fire _down in hell," he crooned. "Maybe I could help you _calm the raging heat? _You know, _down there?" _He drew the blonde in close and wagged his eyebrows provocatively.

Roxas' cheeks caught fire; he snapped the visor down over Axel's face and then reamed him in the gut with his pitch fork, doubling him over with a loud _oof _before storming off toward the front door with Sora and Demyx in tow, leaving the redhead gasping in the driveway.

"Happy Halloween Grandma Graver!"

The little old lady's thin lips smiled broadly at the three youngsters she found on her doorstep. "Oh, hello, dears!" She surveyed them curiously for a moment. "Well where's my darling grandson?"

"He's just locking up the car," Roxas lied fluidly. "He'll be right in."

"Ohh, alrighty then!" Grandma Graver stepped to the side and waved them through the door. "Well come on in out of the cold! Have you boys gotten any sweets yet?"

"Not yet, ma'am," Sora replied politely. This drew Grandma Graver's attention to him, and when she recognized his costume her glassy green eyes sparkled. "Oh, aren't you just the sweetest little angel on earth?" She waddled over and patted his cheek. "Wherever are your wings, dearheart?"

"Oh! I uh…I folded them up so they…won't get in the…way?"

"Oooh," she cooed. "Of course! …And that must make _you _quite the little devil!" She grinned mischievously at Roxas, who couldn't help but chuckle. "No more than usual, Grandma Graver."

Grandma Graver had a soft, wispy laugh. "And no get-together is complete without our favorite musician! How are you, Demyx dear?"

"Still rockin', Granny G!" The blonde threw up a pair of devil horns and pulled out his sitar, which he had brought in from the car. "Wanna hear a song while we wait for Ax?" She nodded, and Demyx set up shop on an orange love seat in the den, picking jovially away at the eccentric instrument. Ten minutes and a tray of pumpkin-shaped sugar cookies later, Axel came lumbering through the front door, rubbing his stomach.

"There's my favorite grandson! Come have a cookie, dear!"

"Ah, I think I'm good, Gran," the redhead mumbled. "Gotta save room for _candy_ and whatnot…" He tossed a look at Roxas who just grinned smugly back at him.

"But you love my baking," Grandma Graver insisted, motioning the tray at him from her seat in the den. "One _delicious,_ _sugary_ sugar cookie can't hurt, can it? And you _know _I only make these once a year!"

Axel sat down beside Demyx and smiled in resignation. "Well, when you put it _that _way…"

As it turned out, Axel devoured the most generous share of the cookies, and by the time they were on their way out, Roxas was hounding him about getting a stomach ache before they even got any candy, thereby ultimately defeating the purpose of going out in the first place. The redhead just rolled his eyes and ignored him, pausing to kiss his grandmother goodbye.

"Now you boys are going to a…party, is it?"

"Yeah, Gran. But we're gonna do a little trick-or-treating first."

"Trick-or-treating? Oh, but aren't you all a teeny bit old for that?" Grandma Graver asked gently, giving them a sweetly bemused look.

"Aww, c'mon, Granny G! You're never too old t'have a little fun!" Demyx declared brightly, swinging his sitar case over his shoulder. "You gotta let out your inner kid sometimes!"

"Or _all _the time, in your case," Axel teased, causing everyone—including Demyx—to laugh happily. "Besides, they're pushing up the curfew next year, and trick-or-treating isn't _nearly _as much fun when the sun's up."

"Well," Grandma Graver giggled, "I certainly wouldn't want you growing up too fast. Have fun, dears! And don't wait too long before stopping by again!"

"We won't, Gran!" With that the four of them trailed out of the quaint and clean little house, waited while Demyx stowed his sitar safely back in the car, and then started sauntering off along the sidewalk.

Despite Roxas' bubbling enthusiasm about scoring some sea-salt ice cream five houses down ("Dude—it's like _forty-five _degrees out here. _How _can you be thinking about _ice cream?"_ "Shut up, Sora."), the group made their first stop at Grandma Graver's neighbor's house. Axel rang the doorbell, then the four of them lined up, presented their bags (two pillow cases, Axel's plastic breathing apparatus with the top sawed off—"That's completely insensitive!" "_I _thought it was _innovative."_—and a Moogle-head bucket that Demyx had been using since he was six), and shouted,

"Trick-or-treat!"

"Trick-or-treat!"

"Trick-or-treat!"

"Merry Christmas!"

The other three turned slowly toward Sora, who was standing there blinking and looking stunned at himself.

"…the _shit, _Sora?"

"I-I dunno! It just slipped out!" He blushed and held the pillow case close to himself, smiling awkwardly when and old man opened the door and chortled, "Did I hear someone out here say _'Merry Christmas'?"_

From there they went down the row, gleaning full-sized chocolate bars (as promised), lollipops and popcorn balls, and applauding Sora every time he got the line right—much to his mortified chagrin. They hesitantly accepted bags of pretzels from the man in the fourth house, who said "Happy Halloween indeed…Now go forth, and _bring me more hearts!" _…and finally made it to Ms. Gainsborough's, where Roxas practically squealed like a five-year-old girl upon receiving his favorite food in the whole wide world.

The four of them spent a good half hour sweeping Sunset Acres—for a while Roxas was so content with his ice cream that Axel had to gather his candy for him—before packing up and checking out some younger, more popular neighborhoods where they earned more than their fair share of odd looks. They were strolling down the street, relishing in the particularly bewildered faces of a mother who passed them with her children, when they were distracted by shouting up ahead.

"Children! Children, _please! _I-I must insist that you _calm down! _This manic behavior is not conducive to our current endeavor—come back here, Child Number Twelve!"

They looked up to see a toe-headed man wrestling a toddler away from a rigging of lights in someone's front yard. He picked her up and brought her over to where another man stood, swarmed by at least ten other children. "There. You must stay close to us at all times so as not to get lost—oh, don't pull on that, Child Number Eight!" The man fussed over the throng of little heads, trying to assert his authority. "Child Number Three! Stop hitting Child Number Six with that wand…Oh, Child Number Nine that's not for eating! Settle down, children! I'm-I'm not going to say it again—"

The other man was having just as much trouble, actually needing to prise crawling children off his limbs. "Dr. Vexen, this is ridiculous! We should just take them back to Advent!"

"No," the ash-blonde—Dr. Vexen—said resolutely. "I promised Ms. Lockhart we would see this escapade through until 9:30PM, when the children are formally due to the returned to the—" The man's hair trailed down his back, and he yelped when one of the children leapt up and caught it, yanking down forcefully, and causing him to temporarily lose his balance. "—orphanage, and as I am a man of my word I fully intend to keep that promise, even if it kills me!"

Apparently miffed at not getting her way, "Child Number Twelve" ran over and punched Dr. Vexen in the groin, causing him to hunch over in breathless pain. "And I'm quite certain it will…" he wheezed.

Roxas gave an astonished whistle. "Those must be the guys Cloud was talking about."

"Whaddaya mean?"

"Apparently some 'mad scientist' blew up part of the Advent Orphanage a few weeks ago, and offered to take the younger kids trick-or-treating so they wouldn't press charges."

"…But that doesn't compensate—"

"Shut up, Sora."

"Ugh, I hate kids—let's get outta here," Axel sneered, wrinkling his nose.

"Aw, c'mon guys. It looks like they could really use some help," Sora mumbled sympathetically, marching over to the scientist and his unruly brood of monstrous children. The other three exchanged a brief, terrified glance before running after him. "Oh, _no _you don't, Christmas boy," Axel chided, teaming up with Roxas and Demyx to grab the brunette's arms and legs and manhandle him across the street, refusing to put him down until they were out of range of the orphanage-field-trip-gone-horribly-_horribly-_wrong.

-o-o-o-

By the time ten 'o' clock rolled around they were back in the car, sorting through their sugary treasure on the way to Demyx's apartment.

"_Ugh. _Does anybody here like almonds?" –"I do!" –"Then have I got good news for _you._"

"Demyx, don't eat that one—the wrapper's open. It could be poisoned!"

"How'd you end up with _two _moon pies?"

"Crap, I thought I grabbed a different flavor!"

"Axel! Eyes on the road!"

"—but the candy's just _sitting _there!"

"Sora, don't eat _all of it _at _once. _You'll make yourself _sick."_

When they pulled up outside the apartment complex it was going on ten thirty. "You guys mind helping me set up?" The rockstar asked, hastily gathering his things from the car. "People are gonna start showing up like…._now._"

"Sure thing, Dem."

* * *

**A/N: I actually did shout 'Merry Christmas' while trick-or-treating one year. Took me seven years to live down—and posting about it here is probably going to undo that. OH WELL. And I didn't stop trick-or-treating until I was 17. But does that justify trick-or-treating for the twenty-year-olds? YES.**

**Don't give out dental care packages on Halloween. No one will like you.**

**Trick-or-treating **_**isn't **_**any fun in the daytime. **

**Why did I feel the need to dump like 14 small children on Vexen? Probably the same reason I felt the need to plant a pretzel-loving, ever obsessive Xemnas in the story. :P**

**Stick around for the final chapter, where the summary actually starts to make sense. :D**

…**I don't like almonds…**

**-Slay**


	3. The One-Winged Angel

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, FF, or Axel/Lea, or anything else that would make me rich and happy. I also don't claim to own any references to real-world themes, persons, or works. So there.**

**A/N: CHAPTER THREE! WHERE THE SUMMARY APPLIES TO THE STORY! YAY! :D**

_**Bon à lire!**_

**-Slay**

* * *

_Happy Halloween: Rise of the One-Winged Angel_

Chapter 3 – The One-Winged Angel

* * *

_Veni, veni, venias,_

_Ne me mori facias_

_Veni, veni, venias, _

_Ne me mori facias_

-o-o-o-

After ten minutes of frantic party-preparing, a knock at the door drew Demyx away from the spread of cookies, pop, candy—("You can never have enough candy on Halloween!") and other crunchy "party" foods. He hauled the door open exuberantly.

"Happy Halloween! …_Zexy!_ Why didn't you dress up? It's a _costume _party!"

"Calm down, Demyx," Zexion assuaged flatly. "While I'm not partial to gaudy costumes, I did bring something for the occasion." Saying this, the slate-haired boy presented a way too lifelike human skull, causing Demyx to jump back in alarm. "S-S-S-SKULL! Human skull! You're holding a human skull!"

Zexion sighed, holding the skull complacently at chest height. "_How not to love such words from someone so completely and so comically self-unaware?"_

"What?"

Ignoring his friend's confusion, Zexion lifted the skull and bored emphatically into its gaunt, featureless face. "_To be, or not to be: that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune or to take arms against a sea of troubles, and by opposing end them?—"_

"You're…not gonna talk like that all night, are you?"

"_Something is rotten in the state of Denmark."_

"…" Demyx slowly stepped aside and let the actor into his apartment, where he swiftly made himself comfortable on the couch, skull resting creepily in his lap.

Over the next half hour, more and more party guests came filtering through the door—Kairi, dressed elegantly as the Queen of Hearts—Naminé, a simple and pretty white witch—Hayner, Pence and Olette as a hotdog, hamburger, and fast-food employee, respectively—"_I _wanted to be a commando, but _noooo!" _"Have a sense of humor, Hayner."—Tidus and Wakka as "the best Blitzball players ever", and Riku-

"Hey!" Sora stood up in affront as the silverette walked over to their corner of the party. "I thought you said you were gonna dress up!"

"I ahm dreshed uhp."

"No you're not, you big fat liar. …and why do you have a lisp?"

Riku, who was otherwise dressed normally in a long-sleeve shirt and jeans, grinned squarely to reveal a set of gauche fake fangs. "I'm ah vahmpiyar."

Sora crossed his arms. "You can't just pop in a set of cheap fangs and call yourself a vampire, Riku."

"You cahn in Kayi's shtupid vahmpiyar boohksh."

"What?"

Riku pulled the fangs out and repeated, "You can in Kairi's stupid vampire books." This earned him a smack on the back of the head from the aforementioned girl. He threw her an indignant look and replaced the fangs, pretending to snarl at her turned back.

The party was in full swing with music and lively chatter when Zack, Cloud and Leon showed up, and frankly, it took every ounce of self-restraint the twins had _not_ to explode with laughter at the sight.

"Pff—Hey, Cloud," Roxas snorted.

"Shut up."

"N-Nice costume," Sora managed, snickering into the back of his hand.

"I will end you."

Before Cloud could make good on that promise, Zack came galloping over, dragging Leon with him and striking a dramatic pose. "Have no fear, common-folk!" He thundered. "Your true heroes are here!" He gestured at his gladiator-esque self, and then to his similarly dressed—and notably less enthusiastic companions. "_I _am the _Mighty Zackules!_ And these are my fellow warriors, _Cloudysseus _and _Leoneas!" _

The twins lost it at "Cloudysseus", rolling against each other in hysterical laughter, earning a lethal glare from their brother.

"Laugh not at our epic trio," _Zackules _demanded, holding aloft a plastic sword. "For we are among the bravest men in all of Twilight Town!"

"Oh yeah?" Tidus popped up, having heard Zack's heroic declarations across the room. "I betch're not brave enough to summon the _One-Winged Angel."_

The entire apartment fell deathly silent—music stopping cold, head whipping around in shock. Zack made a face, lowering his sword. "The…the what?"

With all eyes on him, Tidus sauntered around the room, soaking up the attention of the startled party-goers. "The One-Winged Angel," he repeated boldly. "_…Sephiroth." _A great wave of gasps swept the room, hands flying to mouths as though Tidus had just uttered something foul. Sora inched back in the seat he'd taken on the couch, tossing a nervous glance at Roxas, who held a more skeptical expression.

"What're you talking about, Tidus?"

Tidus smiled sardonically, moving past Zack as he switched targets, plopping himself down on the couch between the twins—a space which had been occupied by Riku before he wandered off in search of soda.

"_Burning _inside with _violent anger," _he hissed, voice low and ominous, glancing from twin to twin with a wicked smile. "Fate, _monstrous and _empty…"

Wakka conveniently lowered the lights, tugging a frightened gasp from their audience and effectively chilling the room.

"Come, com, o'come," Tidus chanted. "…_do not let me die."_

Roxas gave him an un-amused shove. "Knock it off. Who's this Sephiroth guy supposed to _be _anyway?"

"They say he was one of the _seraphim," _a small voice supplied. The boys looked up to see Naminé standing before them, her soft features chastely terrified. "—the angels closest to God."

Kairi came to stand beside her. "But one day, his heart froze over, and he was cast into the lowest rings of hell—"

"_Just like Lucifer," _Tidus interrupted, prodding Roxas pointedly in the forehead. "Only Sephiroth didn't _stay _in hell." He leapt up from the couch, now addressing the whole room with his hands motioning widely in time with the telling. "So great was his power that he _rose from his fiery prison, _and unleashed his fury upon the earth. The fallen angel's bloodlust was insatiable—his wrath _unstoppable. _Until a hero of light came and _vanquished _him on the very _ground this town was built._"

Tidus wheeled around and fixed his eyes directly on Roxas, who sat with a stubborn frown. "But they say that if you call his name three times into a mirror—_once _for his _banishment _from heaven, _once _for his _rejection _of hell, and _once _for his _destruction on earth—_that he'll rise from the ashes of memory to _finish what he started!" _

"_Stop it, _Tidus!"

"Yeah, you're freaking us out!"

"Oh, _please." _Everyone's attention turned to Roxas, who had his arms crossed mulishly. "I've never heard something so ridiculous in my life."

"Are you saying the One-Winged Angel isn't real?" Tidus challenged.

"No, I'm saying you're so full of shit your eyes should be brown," Roxas countered. "Like some murderous "fallen angel" is really gonna come _climbing _out of the _bathroom mirror."_

"Fine," Tidus huffed. "If you're so _confident…_Why don't you go in there and see for yourself?"

"Maybe I will!"

"Roxas!" Sora grabbed his brother's arm. "M-Maybe you shouldn't."

The blonde stared at his twin in awe. "You don't _honestly believe_ this load of cra—"

"Sora's right." Now it was Cloud's turn to be the center of attention. He stood with his arms crossed, eyes focused intently on the floor. "Whether or not there really_ is_ a One-Winged Angel…you shouldn't joke about that sort of thing."

"Pfft-" Tidus waved dismissively at Cloud. "It's not like we're _tap-dancing on a dead man's grave._ I say we let Roxas have a go at it! See if he's got the _guts!" _

The crowd of party-goers turned from silently horrified to raucous and excited, and before he knew it, Roxas was being bustled into the bathroom of Demyx's apartment, Axel and Sora following close behind. All the lights were shut off as they went, save for a pair of candles that someone brought in and set on either side of the sink. Anticipation blanketed the throng crushing against the doorway of the small bathroom, and Roxas stared at his own flickering amber reflection in the mirror. He glanced at the faces of Sora and Axel behind him, almost completely shrouded in darkness, feeling a bit nervous from the sheer weight of the attention he was getting. He took a deep breath, leaned on the lip of the sink, and started.

"Sephiroth."

A solid pause.

"…Sephiroth."

Roxas cursed his chest for tightening at the approach of the final invocation. _It's just a stupid myth, _he told himself. _Nothing's gonna happen._

One more steadying breath—his fingers latching nervously to the marble sink in spite of himself, his heart thumping just fast enough for him to notice. For a moment his lips were unwilling to form the name. They floundered tremulously, suddenly afraid of what they might summon with that one dangerous word. He licked them resolutely. _Stop being stupid. _He glared into his own reflection with steeled blue eyes.

"…_Sephiroth."_

The room shrank as a collective breath was held, tension suffocating the air in everyone's lungs as they hung in that single, uncertain second. And then…nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

Roxas sighed, pleased and relieved, then laughed triumphantly and turned toward the other party-goers, hands on his hips and grinning haughtily. "See? I told you it was a load of crap! There _is _no _Sephiroth. _He's nothing but an _urban legend!"_

But his glory was short-lived. As he looked upon the faces of his peers, all he saw was horror. Raw, unchecked horror. Wide eyes, gaping mouths, clutching hands. He looked from Sora to Axel, confused, and saw the same expressions on their faces. Their eyes were all focused beyond Roxas, apparently disturbed by something…behind…him…

"An urban legend, am I?"

Roxas jumped when a low voice, lethal and drawling, spoke behind him. He slowly turned around, and what he saw calcified his blood and made his heart stutter so hard it hurt his chest.

"Sephiroth…"

There, watching him from inside the mirror, was not his reflection, but someone else entirely. Silver hair fell as venomous moonlight around a sharp and hardened face. Cruel and smiling eyes sparked like celestial hellfire, frigid yet blazing with a roaring hatred from deep within. Thin lips grinned wickedly. "I've waited a long time for this," that lethal voice dripped, silken and wretched.

Sephiroth began advancing in the mirror, pressing a gloved hand tenderly against the glass before passing through it like a specter, raising himself out of the confines of reflection and into the real world.

It was then that Roxas screamed.

It was then that everyone screamed, and scrambled away from the bathroom in a flailing fit of panic. Even Tidus and Wakka were running, not expecting their ghost story to actually manifest itself.

They all scattered like roaches as Sephiroth stepped coolly onto the surface of the counter, a fiery light rising behind him and spilling into the apartment as he dropped to the floor, calmly chasing after his prey.

People threw themselves at the door, only to find it locked from the outside. This only frenzied their panic further. Someone tried the window to the fire escape, to no avail—it wouldn't budge.

"WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!" Roxas wailed, clamoring into the arms of an equally terrified Axel.

"R-Roxas…" Axel stammered, shrinking so far against the wall that he might leave an impression, holding fast to the shaking blonde. "If—If this is the end…I want you to know—"

"Wait a second…"

The two of them turned to Sora, who didn't seem the least bit frightened. In fact, he looked determined, his eyes trained curiously on the One-Winged Angel as he made his way across the apartment, brushing people aside with his mere presence. Then he did the unthinkable—he moved away from the others and started to _approach Sephiroth. _

"SORA! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

As the brunette drew closer to him, Sephiroth's smile quirked sinisterly. He reached down and gripped the hilt of his sword, drawing it out with a malicious ringing of metal. "Foolish child," he jeered. "Are you so eager to die?"

Sora didn't falter—he kept walking until he could see straight up into Sephiroth's impish eyes, his throat dangerously close to the blade of the other angel's sword.

There they stayed, locked in a stare-down for the longest moment of silence, and just when Sephiroth seemed ready to slice Sora through his neck, the brunette broke into a huge smile, of all things.

"Great costume, Riku!"

The villainy in the eyes above him melted away, sharp edges softening along the face until it became warm and familiar. When he spoke, his voice had lost all of its blood-curdling malice. "Man, I just can't get away with _anything, _can I?"

"WHAT!?"

As everyone stared, dumbfounded, Riku pulled the long wig off his head, freeing his own silver tresses about his shoulders. He sheathed his sword—and just in time, because Sora picked that moment to jump him with an affectionate hug and might otherwise have gotten himself impaled. Riku laughed and squeezed him back, lifting the shorter boy a few inches off the ground.

"R-R-R…R-R-R-…" Roxas couldn't get the words out. All of that pandemonium…over Riku? "Wh-Wh-WHAT THE HELL, RIKU?!"

The silverette chuckled, Sora's weight swaying him from side to side. "I knew Tidus was gonna tell some corny ghost story to try and scare everyone, so I thought I'd take the opportunity to do some _real _scaring. And it was all going so well, too." He grinned down at Sora. "That is, until _someone _blew my cover."

The brunette giggled and tightened his grip.

From there the room relaxed back into a calm and friendly atmosphere, and soon enough the party was back in action, music and all. Sora and Riku sat on the couch, discussing the involved and complicated process of rigging Demyx's bathroom mirror as an illusionary portal, while Roxas was off in corner, pouting.

"Aw, c'mon, Roxy—you gotta admit that was pretty good."

"Hmph."

Axel started poking him. "Lighten up. It's Halloween and you got scared—no big deal. That's what you're _supposed _to do on Halloween. And while you may have screamed like a little girl, at least you didn't piss your pants like—"

"Hey, Axel?"

"Hm?"

"What were you gonna say?"

The redhead frowned, confused. "What was I gonna say when?"

"Back when everyone was freaking out. You said, 'if this is the end, I want you to know…'. What were you gonna say?"

"Oh." Axel turned his attention to the ceiling, trying to hide the heat rushing into his cheeks. "Ah…nothing you need to worry about. Probably just some cheesy, 'near death' kinda thing. Famous last words, y'know?"

"Axel."

"Roxas."

The blonde huffed. "Fine, then. _Don't _tell me."

Axel rubbed the back of his neck, then perked up when he got an idea. "Wait here." Roxas shrugged and Axel took his leave, returning with a bar of sea-salt ice cream pilfered from Demyx's freezer.

"You wanna know what I was gonna say?" He conceded, offering Roxas the ice cream.

Roxas took the ice cream and eyed him for a moment. "What?"

"Happy Halloween."

As a force of habit, the blonde rolled his eyes, but then set to placidly unwrapping the ice cream and popping it in his mouth, regarding Axel knowingly.

"Happy Halloween, Axel."

And so the party wound down into the late hours, all of its patrons blissfully unaware of a pair of cruel, smiling eyes watching them from the window—sparkling like celestial hellfire.

* * *

**A/N: THERE. DONE. *passes out at keyboard* g;ij94tkalfj*#$9**

**I tried, guys. I tried my best to get this up on/before Halloween. I finished it at 12:46 AM. I DID MY BEST! D: If parts of this chapter seem half-assed or chalk-full of mistakes, it's because the final push to finish it damn near killed me. See what I do for you people?**

**I will say, I've found several different versions of the lyrics to 'One-Winged Angel', so don't rip on me if the ones I used here aren't the ones you're familiar with. **

**Happy FRIKKIN' Halloween! **

**Review for a Chakram cookie~**

**Flame for a Chakram to the face!**

**-Slay**

**UPDATE (11-1-12): Roxy lovingly pointed out that I had misspelled Tidus' name. See what I meant about the mistakes? .O I went through and fixed what I could find, but if there's still something glaringly wrong-in any of the chapters-please tell me, so I don't go through life (on the internet) looking like an idiot (a bit much to ask). kthnxbai :D**

**Oh, and is my nerd showing yet? Three Trojan War references AND a Shakespeare bomb in the same chapter. I suck. xD**

**Extra cookies to whoever can guess which Shakespearean play Zexion was quoting~**


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